Indian Ocean

China is building world's largest amphibious assault ship. Details here

China's Type 076 amphibious assault ship is significantly larger than the US Navy's America-class vessels and Japan's Izumo-class helicopter carriers

Adani project to China: What Sri Lanka President's stance means for India

Anura Kumara Dissanayake, known for pro-China leanings in the past, on Monday officially took the oath of office as Sri Lanka's new President

Naval commanders decide to bolster India's combat skill in strategic waters

Top commanders of the Indian Navy have decided to significantly bolster the force's combat prowess in the Indian Ocean against the backdrop of China's increasing forays into the region and geopolitical power play being witnessed in the Indo-Pacific. The decision to enhance India's combat capabilities in the maritime sphere following extensive deliberations at a four-day naval commanders' conference that concluded here on Friday, officials said. In his address to the commanders, Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi underlined the need to maintain vigil towards ensuring maritime security and coastal defence through close synergy and functional linkages with the Coast Guard and other maritime agencies. The admiral called on commands and staff at the naval headquarters to continue evolving as a well-balanced multi-dimensional seamlessly networked force ready to respond, protect and promote the national maritime interests -- "anytime, anywhere, anyhow", according to the Navy. The Navy .

India, Maldives hold fresh defence dialogue focusing on Indian Ocean

India and the Maldives on Friday held a fresh round of "productive" defence dialogue with a focus on the situation in the Indian Ocean and ways to expedite implementation of ongoing defence projects. The defence dialogue in Delhi took place nearly a month after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar paid a three-day visit to the Maldives, in the first high-level trip from New Delhi after the island nation's pro-China president Mohamed Muizzu assumed office. "The entire range of talks were productive which will advance shared interests of both the nations in near future and bring stability and prosperity in the Indian Ocean Region," the defence ministry said on the defence dialogue. The ties between India and the Maldives came under severe strain since Muizzu, known for his pro-China leanings, took charge of the top office last November. Within hours of his oath, he had demanded the withdrawal of Indian military personnel from his country. Subsequently, the Indian military personnel

Indo-China naval race hots up as Indian, Chinese warships dock in Sri Lanka

Beijing is also continuing efforts to establish additional overseas military installations and secure access agreements, including in regions near New Delhi

Quad members pledge to work towards free, peaceful Indo-Pacific region

India and other Quad member nations on Monday reaffirmed its steadfast commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific and said no country should dominate others and competition should be managed responsibly in what is seen as a clear message to China. At a meeting, the foreign ministers of the Quad countries also called for upholding the free and open rules-based international order and respecting the principle of freedom, human rights, democratic values, sovereignty and territorial integrity of nations. The meeting was attended by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa and Australia's Penny Wong. "All countries have a role in contributing to regional peace, stability, and prosperity while seeking a region in which no country dominates and no country is dominated, competition is managed responsibly, and each country is free from coercion in all its forms and can exercise its agency to determine its own future

China making inroads into key choke points in Indian Ocean: US lawmaker

China is making inroads into key choke points along the Indian Ocean and obstructing the right to freely navigate the waters, an influential American lawmaker has said, expressing concerns over increasing Chinese investment in South Asia. Congresswoman Young Kim, who is chairman of the Subcommittee on Indo-Pacific in the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said South Asia holds immense significance for the US foreign policy and national security interests. The region faces a dynamic geopolitical landscape that presents challenges for the US policy objectives. The Indian Ocean is a crucial channel for global trade, an estimated 80 per cent of maritime oil trade and 40 per cent of world trade passes through the Indian Ocean, she said. CCP is making inroads into key choke points along these routes and obstructing the right to freely navigate the waters. In recent years, we have seen Chinese ports in Pakistan and Sri Lanka, military installations in Djibouti and infrastructure investments

Ship built by GRSE to explore Indian Ocean for rare minerals, says official

A ship to be built by defence PSU Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) as part of its pact with a Goa-based government institution will explore the deep Indian Ocean for rare minerals and metals, officials said on Thursday. With a length of 89.5 metres, it will be the largest research vessel to be built in an Indian shipyard for deep sea exploration, a spokesperson of the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) in Goa said in a release. The vessel will be deployed for undertaking deep sea scientific surveys and sampling towards the Deep Ocean Mission of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, he said. It will have an all-weather capability and capacity to carry 34 scientists at a time and is expected to serve India for the next 30 years, he said. The vessel, to be built by the Kolkata-headquartered GRSE in 36 months at a contract value of Rs 839.55 crore, will "explore the deep Indian Ocean for rare minerals and metals as part of India's Deep Ocean Mission," the rele

India-Indonesia-Australia trilateral talks under IPOI, IORA held today

The three sides held discussions to explore opportunities for collaboration, including under the framework of the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) and the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA)

India, US warships carry out joint military exercise in Indian Ocean

Indian Navy's frontline warships carried out a mega military exercise with the Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group of the US in the Indian Ocean, demonstrating the growing strategic congruence between the two sides in the key maritime domain. The USS Theodore Roosevelt is a Nimitz-class, nuclear-powered, aircraft carrier of the US Navy. A carrier battle group or carrier strike group is a mega naval fleet comprising an aircraft carrier, accompanied by a large number of destroyers, frigates and other ships. The Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group operated alongside forces from the Indian Navy in the Indian Ocean on July 12, the US embassy said in a readout. The wargame came amid increasing concerns among democratic countries over China's increasing military muscle-flexing in the larger Indo-Pacific region. The Indian Navy's deployment included guided missile destroyer INS Visakhapatnam and replenishment ship INS Aditya. "This joint maritime activity advanced interoperabilit

Sri Lankan Navy arrests 13 Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu, seizes 3 boats

As per information received by the Rameswaram Fishermen Association, the fishermen belonged to the Pudukkottai district of Tamil Nadu

India to become sixth country to have deep sea mission, says Jitendra Singh

Union Earth Sciences Minister Jitendra Singh on Sunday said India is set to become the sixth country to have its own deep-sea mission. Chairing a meeting to discuss the ministry's 100-day action plan, Singh expressed pride and happiness on the progress of the deep-sea mission and India being among the very few nations to achieve this feat. He asked institutes to focus on achieving a resilient blue economy to empower people dependent on the ocean and its energy for livelihood. Singh said the deep-sea mission is not limited to mineral exploration but development of ocean sciences and exploration of flora and fauna and conservation of marine biodiversity. He lauded the National institute of Ocean Technology's (NIOT) efforts for the development of Matsyayaan 6000, which can dive 6,000 metres deep into the ocean. Taking stock of the progress, he directed officials to complete the first stage of the vessel's harbour trial by September and finish the subsequent ones by 2026. Singh ...

Quad transformed from security dialogue into multifaceted tie-up: Report

The new report titled 'Quad: Diplomacy and Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific' assesses the Quad's achievements and potential amidst the ongoing geopolitical churn

IHCL, partner CG Hospitality eye 25 hotels in Indian sub-continent by 2025

Indian Hotels Company (IHCL) on Thursday announced a strategic partnership with CG Hospitality with a plan to grow its portfolio in the Indian sub-continent to 25 hotels by 2025, involving a total investment of around Rs 4,000 crore. The portfolio of 25 properties by 2025, will include 11 operating hotels with 900 keys and will add another 14, which will be under one platform -- 'Ekyam' -- to pursue opportunities in destinations that offer adventure experiences across the Indian Ocean and Greater Himalayan regions and wildlife escapes, IHCL Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Puneet Chhatwal told reporters. IHCL's Vice President Commercial Ram Maheshwari will lead the 'Ekyam' platform, he added. "We have a long-standing association with CG Hospitality, a member of the renowned CG Corp Global for over two decades. We are delighted to announce that the next phase of this partnership will pursue accelerated growth in the Indian sub-continent. "This collaboration under the ..

Needed: An underwater PM Gati Shakti

India's blue economy strategy hinges on developing robust underwater domain awareness, a critical yet overlooked aspect

Filling the submarine gap

Addressing this deficiency should be a top priority for the new govt, given India's role as the gatekeeper to the Indian Ocean

Yemen's Houthis launch drone attack on four ships in Indian Ocean, Red Sea

Iran-aligned Houthi militants have launched repeated drone and missile strikes in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab Strait and Gulf of Aden since November, forcing shippers to re-route cargo

Rapid warming of Indian ocean could lead to catastrophic outcomes: Study

The Indian Ocean is expected to experience surface warming of 1.4 degrees Celsius to 3 degrees Celsius between 2020 and 2100, which will push it into a near-permanent heatwave state, intensify cyclones, affect the monsoon, and lead to a rise in sea levels, according to a new study. The study, led by Roxy Mathew Koll, a climate scientist at the Pune-based Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), showed that marine heatwaves (periods of abnormally high ocean temperatures) are projected to increase from 20 days per year (during 1970-2000) to 220-250 days per year, pushing the tropical Indian Ocean into a basin-wide near-permanent heatwave state by the end of the 21st century. Marine heatwaves cause habitat destruction due to coral bleaching, seagrass destruction, and loss of kelp forests, affecting the fisheries sector adversely. They also lead to the rapid intensification of cyclones. The rapid warming in the Indian Ocean is not limited to the surface. The heat content of the

Looking forward to greater economic cooperation with India: Sri Lanka Prez

Sri Lanka is looking to accelerate greater economic cooperation with India with the tourism sector taking the lead, the island nation's President Ranil Wickremesinghe said on Thursday. India's status as a rising economic giant and Sri Lanka's location as a strategic logistics hub will complement each other in driving forward the two economies, he said while addressing the opening of Indian firm ITC Hotels' first overseas property, ITC Ratnadipa here. "I have no doubt that this icon (ITC Ratnadipa) will help increase tourism into Sri Lanka, more particularly from India. Now these are part of the vision statement which Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi and I signed last year on how do we integrate our economies and we get closer," Wickremesinghe said. The economic background, the convertibility of Indian rupees, all have now been laid, he said, adding,"so this is the start. I think more than any other sector we identified this (tourism) is one which you can start." He further said, ...

Former Japanese PM Taro Aso meets Trump, discuss mutual cooperation

Ex-Japanese prime minister Taro Aso has met former president Donald Trump and both the leaders discussed the enduring importance of the US-Japan alliance to their physical and economic security in the strategic Indo-Pacific region. Aso, vice president of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, met Trump on Tuesday at the Trump Tower in Manhattan. Both the leaders discussed the enduring importance of the US-Japan alliance to both countries' physical and economic security and stability in the Indo-Pacific, according to a statement issued by the Trump Campaign on the meeting with the 83-year-old visiting Japanese leader. They also discussed challenges posed by China and North Korea. President Trump praised Japan's increased defence spending, the press release said after the meeting. "He's a highly respected man in Japan and beyond and somebody that I've liked and I've known through our very dear friend Shinzo," Trump, the 77-year-old presumptive nominee of the Republican Party in the